


DNA

by Onlyafraidoffear



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: DNA test craziness, Erza has a Princess fantasy come true, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mommy Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-29 02:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30149121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlyafraidoffear/pseuds/Onlyafraidoffear
Summary: The results of a guild-wide ancestry test have far-reaching consequences. Erza had always wondered where she had come from- somehow all of this only gave her more questions.
Relationships: Cana Alberona & Gildarts Clive, Irene Belserion & Erza Scarlet
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	DNA

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by a comment by shitfiredragon on a chapter of my other story To Become a Father- the whole guild take heritage tests and through this it gets revealed that Gildarts and Cana are father and daughter. They made me realize just how much fun I could have with this idea because Irene was a queen and putting aDNA through these kinds of tests happens more often then you think it does. I did take a couple liberties and things might get a little OOC.

"So let me get this straight." Mira said brusquely, not bothering to be polite even in the face of the royal family of Fiore," You're telling me that because of some stupid test results, **_Erza_** is the fucking queen of this country?!"

The aide to the left of the king sniffed disdainfully," That is an overly simplified and vulgar assessment of these events, but yes- that is essentially what is happening."

The entire guild stared at them in disbelief, nearly all jaws on the floor.

Mira nodded slowly at the man's answer and calmly walked over to her siblings. She grabbed her sister's hand and tossed her brother over her shoulder," Nice knowing you all." She yelled almost as an afterthought as she began to walk out of the room. "We're not staying in a country run by that ugly prude for a single second!"

"Mira!" Lisanna yelped, half in protest and half in disapproval," We can't just-!"

"Yes we can and we will!"

The She-Devil's path was blocked by a gigantic hand, the teenager looked toward the old man it belonged to.

"Sit down Mirajane." Makarov ordered," We are going to hear them out and come to a resolution on what to do- if you still wish to leave then we can discuss that later."

Mira swallowed and, knowing better than to disobey Master when he used that tone, quietly released her sister, dropped her brother on the floor (who let out an un-manly yelp when he landed on his head), and sat down on the nearest open space.

After he was confident that she wouldn't cause any other fuss, Makarov turned back to the bewildered royals and their staff," Please explain how and why Erza is now in charge of this country." Despite his phrasing it was not a question.

The king sighed," You remember the heritage test you all took as a guild, yes?"

At the scattered nods of the few not still in shock he continued," Well, a team of archaeologists were doing research on the earliest rulers of this country- a matrilineal line that died out four hundred years ago with the death of Queen Irene. She died leaving no heirs… or so we thought." The small man pinched the bridge of his nose and slid an open file across the table to the stunned redhead," Miss Scarlet- this team found several artifacts that belonged to her, and upon finding an intact lock of her hair, they decided that it would be funny to submit it for a DNA profile- and when the researchers at the lab processed the DNA, they found that you were a genetic match."

"How is this even possible?" Gray blurted out from the sidelines, flushing when all attention turned towards him," Um- I mean if this Irene lady didn't have any heirs, then how is Erza related to her? And how does this make her queen?"

The little princess Hisui piped up from her place at her father's right," Our family sits on the throne because her line supposedly died out, but the existence of living blood relatives means that our rule is invalid. As the living heir, she is the only one who legally can take control of the country."

Erza finally broke out of the headspace she was trapped in," Be that as it may, I don't know how to rule a kingdom." She pointed out," And after four hundred years, shouldn't the blood ties you have with your line be stronger than my- "She cut herself off," Actually, how strong is my relation to this queen?" She asked curiously," We are several dozen generations apart at this point, why does this even matter?"

The royals shared a look.

The king gestured to the manilla folder that Erza had yet to take a look at," Your relation… is a little closer than that." He said uneasily.

The armored wizard hesitated but picked up the folder that apparently contained her DNA results, and her eyes widened. "There-this has to be some kind of mistake!"

Toma E. Fiore sighed, and gently shook his head," According to the representatives from the company, they ran the results of this test almost a hundred times. Every single one of those came out with this result."

"But- how could a woman who died _four hundred years ago_ possibly be my _mother_?!"

Those that had recovered from their earlier shock were plunged right back in.

"Your mom?" Somebody blurted out from the crowd of guildmembers.

"With all due respect, is this some kind of joke?" Makarov asked directly," I've heard some wild stories in my time, but this is absurd!"

The aide puffed up in indignation," Watch your tone! You are speaking to the king- "

"But he just said he's not king." Natsu pointed out in confusion, which had the side effect of having the man snap his jaw shut with a soft click of his teeth.

The miniature king sighed again," Officially I shouldn't be telling you this, but magic that can allow someone to travel through time _does_ exist." The man looked at the poor teenager who was having her world torn apart," Four hundred years ago this entire continent was being torn apart by war, and in the end both sides were so utterly decimated no one could tell who the true victor was. The Queen Irene… your mother was a wizard of unparalleled strength and intellect. She imbued her troops with magic weapons and armor and even led battles from the front lines herself. One of the last records of her before her death did specifically mention a pregnancy."

The old man looked at Erza with thinly veiled pity," Obviously, due to her death shortly after and how her line was believed to have ended… well historians previously agreed that either she had an undocumented miscarriage or died still pregnant."

"But…" Erza trailed off, no idea what to say," How did-?"

The king winced," We have no true idea what events could have led to you being here today." He admitted," But a current working theory is that you were sent to the future using now-lost magic shortly after your birth Miss Scarlet. We can only assume… we can only assume that your parents were trying to keep you safe."

Erza's eye welled up with tears that she furiously rubbed away.

Could this be it?

Could she have finally found the answer to a question she'd thought that she would never get the answer to?

The DNA proved that she was the daughter of this legendary queen… at the end of her life, had she been thinking as a queen or had she just been a scared mother trying to keep her baby safe?

"So wait." Natsu said, his face screwed up in concentration," Does this mean that Erza's an old lady?"

"Natsu now's not the time!" Cana hissed, clapping a hand over his mouth to keep any other outbursts quiet, almost falling out of her father's lap as she did so.

Erza shook her head stubbornly," This still doesn't explain why you brought us all here." She said, speaking past the lump in her throat," I don't know how to run a country, and even if I did, I don't want to."

"Miss Scarlet…" The aide said slowly," Right now it does not necessarily matter whether you want to or not. By law and by birth, you are the rightful heir to the kingdom."

"And more than that." The king said, seamlessly picking up where the other man left off," I think I speak for both my family now, and for all those who came before- we have no desire to sit as pretenders on a throne that is rightly yours. We want to do the right thing, and more than that, you deserved to know who you really are," Here his lips quirked into a small smile," Your Majesty."

While the rest of the room looked at their ruler in respect (with exception of those who weren't paying attention) at this declaration, Erza herself had her brain spinning somewhere else entirely.

' _Your Majesty?'_ She thought to herself as a fantasy played through her mind- of her wearing the most beautiful dresses imaginable with a tiara on her head, feasting upon delicacies that the castle's pastry chef had lovingly crafted for her. _'Balls, tiaras, fancy dresses, fine food… you know maybe this is worth thinking about.'_

Next to her, Makarov was in his own fantasy world, albeit very different from the redhead's.

' _Wait. If Erza is technically the queen… then Fairy Tail raised the queen of Fiore. Those council bastards couldn't touch us!'_ The old man had stars in his eyes as he pictured the blowhards on the council kissing up to them in order to stay in power. And no one would dare bill them for damages again! Not with the power of the entire kingdom behind them! No more letters of apology, no more bills, no more kissing up to people so they would drop lawsuits _! 'Erza… you are my child and I want you to be happy, but for the love of all that is holy- SAY YES AND TAKE YOUR PLACE AS QUEEN!'_

"So, if you don't mind, let's begin talking about the logistics of our situation."

oOOOOo

In the end, Erza politely declined their offer to take control of the country as queen (much to Makarov's dismay). She cited that though she was apparently royal by blood, she knew nothing of running a country and she had to put the citizens of Fiore before her own desires.

The king had tried to protest, but ultimately bowed in favor of Erza's wishes, though not without making sure that she received her dues. From hence forth, she would be acknowledged as a member of the royal family and referred to as 'Her Royal Highness, the Princess Erza Scarlet'. She had an open invitation to Mercurius and would be invited to attend all royal functions. In addition to all of this, she had also been given an allowance of thirty million Jewels per year (Erza had been in her own personal heaven, with images of swords and strawberry cakes dancing around her head).

The guild had been invited to stay at the castle until Erza's formal abdication could be made law. And until then they had the run of the place.

"I can't believe it!" Gray said for the umpteenth time since the negotiations had ended," They offer you an entire country on a silver platter and you turn it down!"

"We get it Gray." Cana said in irritation, she didn't sneak away from Gildarts' clingy arms just to deal with this," She turned them down and you wouldn't of. Now put some clothes on and shut up about it."

"What!" the boy yelped," When did this happen?!"

"Besides," Cana continued, a wry grin on her face," I believe that you should be addressing her as 'Your Highness'."

Erza laughed, still feeling a mess of emotions," There's no need to bother." She said dismissively," You don't have to call me 'Your Highness' or 'Princess'- I'm still just plain old Erza."

"Still though," Cana said in a gentle voice," I never would have guessed that me and Gildarts would be pretty much an afterthought in all this, how are you holding up?"

The redhaired girl swallowed," Its… I just don't know how to feel." She admitted," I'd made my peace with never knowing where I came from, and now I'm finding out that I'm royal and apparently time traveled- it's just a lot."

The brunette nodded and pulled the older girl into a hug," Royalty or no, you're still you. You are Erza Scarlet, a kickass wizard from Fairy Tail."

"Thanks Cana." She said gratefully as she hugged back.

"Excuse me?"

All three wizards turned to see a familiar green haired girl looking at them timidly," Am I interrupting something?"

"No, you're not Princess Hisui." Erza said politely," Is there something we can do for you?"

The girl smiled and said," Well Princess Erza, I was just coming to ask... well, you see we have a portrait of your mother in the palace's archives." She informed them, not missing how the three wizard's postures changed. "I… do you want to see it?"

Erza stared at the other girl and swallowed reflexively," That… I would like that a lot. Thank you."

Cana and Gray shared a look before they each stood on either side of the redhead.

"If its alright with you, can we come to?" Cana asked innocently, Gray echoing a second later.

"Yeah, I want to see what your mom looked like Erza!"

The armored wizard recognized exactly what they were doing, and though she wouldn't admit it, she was grateful for their presence.

"I don't mind, Princess Hisui?"

The green haired girl smiled," Follow me Princess Erza."

The archives of the palace were towards the lower depths of Mercurius, and there were statues and decorative artifacts covering every available surface- every wall was covered in weaponry, elaborate tapestries, and portraits.

And deep, surrounded by fossilized dragon scales and enchanted swords, was the last surviving portrait of the Queen Irene.

"Dang." Gray said in amazement," Guess you really take after your mom."

Erza nodded silently, not trusting her voice as she stared upon the woman who was apparently her mother.

They really did look a lot alike.

Even though the portrait had clearly seen better days, the image of her was still striking. Her scarlet hair pinned up in an elaborate crown braid, her face set in stony determination, even without a crown or any striking jewelry, there was no mistaking the regal grace she held. This was a queen who could never be mistaken for anything other than what she was.

But all Erza could do was strain her memory, trying desperately to find some long-forgotten trace of this woman. She had given birth to her, so logic dictates she had to have held her at some point, right?

Cana grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze," She was beautiful Erza."

"…This doesn't feel real."

The armored wizard stopped fighting the tears and let them fall," I have so many questions- but I guess I'll never get any answers."

Would this woman have wanted her to abdicate or had she been sent to ensure the survival of the royal family? How had she ended up on the doorsteps of the church where she had been found? What had her original name been? 'Erza' had been given to her by the church and 'Scarlet' from… him… but what had her parents named her? Or had she been sent forward before she even had one?

She'd never know.

But she could always imagine.

That this warrior queen who led her enemies from the front lines had cried tears of joy when her daughter had been placed into her arms. And had cried once again when she had sent her newborn into the future in order to keep her safe from the war that had ravaged her kingdom. And had died desperately hoping that she had sent her baby into a better time where she could grow up safe and happy.

"You know," Hisui started after a long silence," You can still change your mind."

"Hm?"

"You don't have to abdicate." The green-haired princess clarified," You don't have to take over as queen right now, but you could stay here and learn how to do it properly. Papa and I don't want you to give up your birth right unless you're sure."

Erza slowly shook her head," I'm probably always going to think about that for the rest of my life." She admitted freely," I'm going to lay in bed at night and wonder about what would have happened if I had stayed in my time. I probably would have been raised a battlefield princess, had a political marriage, and faded into history as just another queen." Her hand clenched and unclenched as she tried to make sense of her thoughts." For better or worse, my biological mother's reign is over. My name is Erza Scarlet and I am a proud wizard of Fairy Tail- and I am a relic from another time. Ruling a country does not fit in the life I am trying to build."

Hisui stared at Erza and then smiled gently," I understand, but never forget- Erza Scarlet the wizard will also always be Erza Scarlet the Princess. You don't have to stop being one just because you are the other."

"So true."

oOOOOo

The formal coronation and abdication of Erza Scarlet was an event that was a topic of conversation for years to come. Even with her actual relation to Queen Irene carefully buried, it was still an object of speculation, with everyone wanting to wonder how different could their country have been if only Irene's line had not fallen into obscurity.

It not only wound up being excellent press for the royal family (being so willing to do the right thing, they were willing to give up their status in favor of someone with a better claim), but also for Fairy Tail. Job requests exploded overnight as everyone wanted to see what made this famously destructive guild so special that a Princess would give up her throne in order to stay there.

As for Erza herself, some changes being better than others.

She was happy to finally have some answers, even if there were still holes in the story, this was better than nothing. The title was nice too, and her new allowance meant that her cake fund was secure.

Although… she could do without the reporters.

"Princess Erza!" A man yelled as he forced his way through the bustling crowd," Princess Erza can I get an interview?!"

It was all she could do to keep a straight face as the man shoved his notepad right in her face.

"Jackson Fall of Fiore Daily- may I please have a few words on your abdication?" He asked eagerly," How did you feel when you found out who you were? Is it true that the royal family forced you to abdicate?!"

"Hey what's the matter with you!" Gray snapped as he shoved the annoying man out of the way," Can't you guys give her a break!"

"I can speak for myself Gray." Erza said pointedly, before turning to the reporter," Since you did not bother to wait for my agreement to an interview before you began asking your questions- I must kindly ask you to leave."

"But the public has a right to kno- "The man started to protest, before letting out a yelp when a sword materialized right under his nose.

"I said leave."

The man let out a girlish shriek and ran for his life.

"Um, I know he was being rude and all, but maybe that was a little harsh Erza." Levy said uneasily as she watched a grown man run from a girl half his size (not that he wasn't justified in running- in fact she would've thought less of his intelligence if he _hadn't_ ).

"Nonsense." The redhead said dismissively as she put the sword away," He looked like he could use the exercise."

"I thought it was badass." Cana said approvingly as she took a hit off her flask," All those guys have gotta learn that you treat the lady with respect- she says get lost, you get lost."

"Thank you Cana." Erza said gratefully as the small group continued their way towards the guildhall.

"Anyway- you guys hear about what's going on with Natsu?" The brunette asked the group at large getting a round of curious stares.

"What's happening Cana?" Levy asked curiously.

"Well, you guys know that he got something on his DNA test too, right?" The card mage asked, getting nods.

"Something about a nephew, right?" Gray commented as he idly took his shirt off for the third time that morning.

Cana nodded," Yeah- while I got outed as Dad's daughter and Erza got a crown, Natsu found out that he's got a sibling out there because he matched with a nephew a couple countries over." She explained," But now he's been talking about trying to go track this guy down to see if he's a dragon slayer too and to ask if he knows where Igneel is."

The trio had a collective blink.

"Um- I'm all for him wanting to get in contact with his long-lost nephew and all, but he does know that dragon slayer magic isn't hereditary right? And that tracking him down would probably mean using transportation?" The bookworm asked, voicing the thoughts of the entire group.

The brunette shrugged," Who knows." She said dismissively," The issue here is that his nephew lives in Alvarez and travel there is restricted, so don't be surprised if he hits you up for a travel visa Erza."

The armored wizard laughed," I'll just have to let him know that I don't have the authority to do that."

"…Is that true?" Gray asked curiously, only for Erza to give him a mysterious smile and a shrug.

"Perhaps."

Levy shook her head and turned back to Cana," What's the nephew's name?"

Cana shrugged again," 'August' I think."

"Huh, but isn't funny that so many of our guild found out such cool things about ourselves?" The bluenette said thoughtfully. "I mean, what are the chances of all this happening to begin with. It really is a strange world we live in."

"It really is Levy."

oOOOOo

Irene let out a tired breath as another meeting of the Spriggan Twelve came to a close.

Yet another pointless meeting that could have been summed up in ten minutes dragged out for two hours. Not that she would ever show her irritation.

Her old etiquette lessons wouldn't allow for it.

As the scarlet-haired woman stood up to leave, a command stayed.

"Irene- if I could have a few moments of time." The Emperor said, and despite his phrasing both of them knew it was not a question.

"Certainly, your Majesty." She said without hesitation as she moved closer to the man who had set her free from her scaled prison.

Zeref looked up at her with a light smirk on his lips and pulled out a clipping from an Ishgar newspaper," I was catching up on the news from our homeland and thought that you might be interested in this." He said lightly as he passed it over.

The woman accepted it, idly wondering what he was trying to do, and scanned the article. A simple little puff piece about a princess's coronation, but why-

Then she saw it.

'Erza Scarlet was discovered to be from the bloodline of the Queen Irene from the original royal bloodline of what is now the Fiore kingdom.'

Her blood- that meant- this girl was-

"Is that all your Majesty?"

Zeref looked up at her, his chin in the palm of his hand and he gave her a small nod," It is." He confirmed," You are dismissed Irene."

"Thank you sir." She said tightly as she walked away, the paper clutched in her fist.

So, seemed like her daughter was being honored as she rightfully deserved.

('Erza'... it wasn't a bad name all things considered. Not what she would have picked once upon a time, but it suited her.)

For all that she told herself that she didn't care about the child that had caused her so much suffering… it was good to know that she was taken care of.

And if any of her soldiers ever saw the worn newspaper clipping she kept on her at all times, they never mentioned it.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, as of right now there will definitely be a second chapter, but the second chapter sucks right now and I am not posting it until it is as perfect as I can get it. I've also got a bunch of funny little ideas of Erza heavily abusing her privileges as a princess to get her way and she rubs it in Mira's face when they fight. I really hesitated putting this up but I finally decided to just bite the bullet and do it.
> 
> What did you think? Comments make my day!


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